Morocco Outlines Digital Sovereignty Vision at UN Open Source Week

At the United Nations Open Source Week in New York, held June 22–26, Morocco set out a comprehensive vision for AI, digital public infrastructure and what it calls "digital sovereignty." The event, co-organized by Morocco, brought together governments, technology experts and international organizations to debate the role of open-source software in AI and national digital strategies. Moroccan Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni used the platform to present components of the Morocco Digital 2030 strategy and the AI Made in Morocco roadmap, and to announce a series of projects spanning sovereign cloud services, data centres and high-performance computing.

"Digital technology has become central to national sovereignty," Minister Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni said opening the event. "Countries now need more than access to new technologies. They also need the ability to understand them, develop them, and decide how they are used." She framed Morocco's approach as a "third digital way" that seeks balance between engagement with global technology partners and maintaining control over key national systems.

Context and announced projects

Seghrouchni detailed several initiatives already embedded in Morocco Digital 2030 and the AI Made in Morocco roadmap. They include the development of AI models in Arabic, Darija and Amazigh; a planned network of JAZARI Institutes across all 12 regions of the country; a joint research laboratory with French company Mistral AI; and investments in sovereign cloud services, national data centres and high-performance computing capacity.

• Human capital: Morocco is targeting the training of 100,000 digital professionals each year by 2030.
• Infrastructure: Projects highlighted include the National Data Center, sovereign cloud and cybersecurity infrastructure, and a national digital public goods platform.
• Research and partnerships: The ministry announced a joint research laboratory with Mistral AI and described the RallyIA Future Lab initiative as part of its R&D ecosystem for AI.
• Private sector engagement: Earlier in June the ministry signed a partnership with Orange Maroc to explore AI applications for public services in healthcare, education and digital administration.

Alongside the main conference, Morocco and the UN Development Programme hosted a high-level discussion on open-source AI through the Digital for Sustainable Development Hub (D4SD). Seghrouchni chaired the first meeting of the D4SD Hub Advisory Council, which brings together representatives from governments, international organizations, universities, research centres, development institutions and private companies to advance open-source approaches to digital public infrastructure.

The minister also participated in sessions on the implementation of the Global Digital Compact and on financing digital public infrastructure, signalling an intent to align Morocco's national plans with broader international frameworks. Earlier this year the ministry said it would create a directorate dedicated to AI and emerging technologies as part of Morocco Digital 2030, while continuing work on AI regulation and expanding online public services.

Outlook

Morocco’s presentation in New York underscores a deliberate national push to couple technology adoption with domestic capacity-building and governance. By promoting language-specific AI models, regional research institutes, and sovereign infrastructure, the government aims to reduce dependency on external providers while attracting partnerships — such as the Mistral AI lab and the Orange Maroc collaboration — that can accelerate deployment in public services. The stated target to train 100,000 digital professionals annually by 2030 will be critical to staffing these initiatives and sustaining the "third digital way" the minister described.